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Many children love to doodle, write stories, and decorate empty notebooks found laying around the house. How can we capture this energy and help kids develop their literacy skills outside the classroom? We know how important it is to read, and we’ve talked a lot about reading this week. But what about writing?

There is nothing better than a writer’s notebook! Every child should have a notebook, that they can decorate, doodle in, write down their stories, and cherish. This should not be something that is graded, checked by mom or dad, or made to be a burden in any way. A writer’s notebook is a special place, and individual place.

A writer’s notebook isn’t a diary. It isn’t a journal. It’s something different. Something special. A writer’s notebook is a place to jot down ideas and sketches, to write stories and paste in ephemera.

And the best part? Lots of published authors cherish their writer’s notebooks and use them daily! Some of those authors have been kind enough to share a photo of their notebook(s) and a little bit about how they use them. I hope they inspire you to start keeping a writer’s notebook, and to hand a writer’s notebook to a child in your life!

Like most authors I know, I write my books on a computer. The problem is, some of my best ideas come at completely inconvenient times – like when I’m on the subway and nowhere near my computer, or when I’m in bed with all the lights turned out. Late at night, so warm and snug under my down comforter, the last thing I want to do is turn on my computer. I used to think, Well, this idea is so good there’s no way I’ll forget it. I’ll just write it down later. And then, invariably, I’d forget my brilliant idea. In the morning, all I’d remember is the fact that I’d had a brilliant idea, and it would leave me devastated that the book would have to exist without it. So I started keeping a notebook by my bed, and carrying it around with me when I left the house, small enough so it fit in my purse – the book under the BlackBerry in the picture is one that’s all filled up now. My handwriting is especially messy in it, since so often the notes were jotted down in the middle of the night. Now I’ve graduated from an old school notebook to something way more technological, i.e., the “notes” application on my BlackBerry (that’s why the BlackBerry is atop the notebook in the picture). I’m completely addicted to the device, so it’s never too far away. Not sure you can see it in the picture, but I have all sorts of categories, and I’ll type in whatever idea just popped into my head. They’re certainly not all brilliant, but at least there never has to be another idea lost.

I did research for about a year before I began writing Bumped. I jotted down passages from relevant books in my black and white speckled composition notebook and ripped out dozens of articles and put them in this “IDEAS” folder. On the clipping titled, “16 & Pregnant: No Fairy-Tale Ending” I wrote,”What if society DID encourage sex? Why?” These are the questions that inspired the novel. The whole story can be traced back to that torn piece of newspaper.

I start the mornings with a good cup of coffee and a time of reading and reflection through journaling. My preference is a standard composition book and a good, fine-tip pen. I write only on one side of the paper, avoiding backs of pages, always in messy, free-flowing cursive. What do I write? Poetry, ideas for stories, prayers full of angst and anxiety, gratitude and celebration. My journal is supposed to be as private and safe as a fire escape, and one of the reasons I like to use that metaphor in my online life. Recently, however, my dog Zipper (with my son as scribe), violated that privacy to leave an interesting request (see photo).

I have a blue 4X6 spiral notebook that I bring along most places, because you never know when you’ll have your next idea for a book! Here’s what I scrawled one day on a bumpy train ride into New York City: the inspiration for my new tween novel, TRAUMA QUEEN. On the upper left, you can see the names of the characters (the main character is Marigold, but apparently I was also considering Zinnia.) Below it is the plan for the first chapter, which is pretty faithful to what actually got written. On the right page, I’d started to work out Marigold’s/Zinnia’s mother, a performance artist in the Karen Finley mold who “teaches improv workshops-colleges.” After that it gets weird– I’ve written “thumb/bendy straw/ self-esteem.” Huh? I’m completely baffled by these scribbles. Maybe they reflect some idea about where I meant to go in Chapter Two, and the train arrived at Grand Central Station before I could flesh out my thoughts. That’s one of the hazards of writing on trains, I guess: you can lose things even when you write them in your notebook.

The first is just my closed Journal. I’ve been using one type for the last ten years (Canson 7×10 field sketch) and same pen (pilot v7

clipped into the spine). I’ve got about 25 of them now on a shelf.

The second picture is putting down an idea for a book character. I happened to tap

e some old paintings I found online in the corner (which I often do). This character — like many I draw — didn’t make the cut.

The third pic is an example of what I like to do when I read . I take down quotes, new vocab and images that struck me. These notes are all from Roald Dahl’s TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED.

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As you can see above, writer’s notebooks are differentiated and individual Each person treats theirs differently, so there is no right or wrong way to use your writer’s notebook. It is a great habit for kids to get into, and a great one for adults, too. If you are interested in learning more about writer’s notebooks and getting some additional ideas, you must check out Ralph Fletcher’s A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You!

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Do you have a writer’s notebook? I would love to see some photos in the comments!